Creative Juices, graphic design tips, creative news | Creative Juices Graphic Design Studio

6 Important Reasons to Update Your Website in 2017

Website design is constantly evolving. You want a design that will help your audience convert to paying customers.

You also want a website that is up today’s standards and not stuck in the past.

Here are some of the website design trends happening in 2017:

Full Width Images and/or Video Sliders. Studies show large images make people stop and notice. The image must be exceptional and unique (avoid stock photos). This contributes to a high conversion level.
Split-Screen Layouts. This allows your audience to go to where they will be most likely to convert.
Monochromatic Colors. Your CTA (Call To Action) button will stand out if you use a bright spot of color on an otherwise neutral or contrasting color palette.
Simple Navigation. Make it easy for people to find what their looking for. Avoid deep menus that require a lot of clicks.
Video. A level of trust is needed to convert your audience into clients. A video will allow you to personalize your brand. You will see more and more videos on the home page of websites today.
Responsive Design. A responsive web design is one that fills all screen sizes optimally. This is a must as an increasing number of people use their mobile devices to search up websites.

These are tips to keep in mind, whether you’re needing a new website or revising an existing one. Don’t let your business get left behind.

Contact us for a free quote today!

18 Nov

Don’t Forget Email Marketing

Studies have shown that email is more powerful than social media when it comes to reaching your audience.

Your email list is your most precious asset. Entice your website readers to sign up for your mailing list.

It’s vital to put an email subscription form on your home page, your about page, and every blog page.

Helpful email rules:

Make your email mobile-friendly.
Style your email with your company logo and matching colors.
Entice your reader in the subject line.
Start off with a personalized, friendly greeting.
Introduce yourself and get to the point.
Write in your own voice.
Add visuals but keep the number of images low.
Include relevant links but limit the number, otherwise it looks spamy.
Don’t forget a specific call to action.
Close with a polite thank you for reading the email.
Edit and proofread your email carefully before sending.

Follow these simple rules and you’re on your way to email success!

Also, check out these useful articles on email marketing…

Five Email Marketing Best Practices

How to Write a Professional E-mail that Gets a Reply

How to Brand Your Emails So that You Look Like a Pro in the Inbox

Email Lists: Make them a Priority in 2015 with These Tips

Email Marketing Marketing 101

16 Jun

The Importance of Social Media Marketing

Social Media Marketing is the most popular way to get your business seen in today’s world. You must have a social presence on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn at the very least. There are many other social medial outlets which are constantly changing, including Snapchat, Instagram, WhoSay, Periscope and much more. It’s better to have a strong presence in a few social outlets than to spread yourself too thin.

You need to spend time daily marketing on these networks. That means coming up with fascinating content that people will want to read on a regular basis. That can be a challenge.

Some ways to get your name out there in social media land are:

Reviewing Products
Bookmarking or promoting other people’s sites that are related
Joining social and interest based networks
Create videos for YouTube
Publish your own books

I’ve curated the following articles for some helpful tips on promoting your business.

8 Types of Social Media and How Each Can Benefit Your Business

How Often Should You Post to Social Media

Sensible #SocialMedia Marketing Checklist for Business

LinkedIn For Business

Expose Yourself To Marketing

6 Tips to Consider When Building a Service-Based Blog Business

How to Write a Professional Email That Gets a Reply

Amazing Benefits of Instagram for Your Business

Email Marketing Helpful Hints Marketing 101 Online Marketing Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

16 Apr

Is Your Website Mobile-Friendly?

Google is about to update their algorithm again which will affect how they analyze your website. Having a mobile-friendly website is vital to your success online.

Mobile-friendly websites will soon rank higher on Google’s search engine results pages (SERP). If your site is not mobile-friendly it’s likely to become less relevant and disappear from prominent search results.

Studies show that time spent daily on a mobile device has increased more than 5X from 2011 to 2014. Searching, browsing and shopping are all going mobile. 40 percent of all search queries are from mobile devices. And that number is growing.

If your website isn’t optimized for mobile users, you’re probably losing business. In fact, with a mobile optimized site, you can expect to convert up to twice as many people as you would without optimizing for mobile customers.

If your website looks good and works well on smartphones and tablets, you can expect up to twice as many conversions compared to a less-than-optimal display. That’s because customers who search for you on their mobile device expect a webpage specifically designed for smaller screens, like smartphones and tablets. Otherwise, it’s just too hard to use your website and customers give up. The result: no conversion.

It’s crucial to your business that your website is easy to read, navigate and click on all devices, especially mobile.

Enter your website into Google’s Mobile Friendly Test and you will find out if your site is okay.

Graphic Design Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Website Design WordPress

11 Mar

Print Marketing Still Has Value Today!

Don’t ignore print marketing.

It may be “old school” but many people still rely on printed materials to get their news and make their buying decisions.

One of the ways I get new business is to send out persuasive sales letters to new businesses that have a DBA (doing business as) in the local newspapers. I find it in the classifieds section. I’ve been doing this for many years and it still works.

Of course you have to start out with a professional sales letter. I keep things simple. All text, few graphics. You have to say what you do explicitly and show the reader the benefits of giving you a call.

Inside each sales letter I include my business card with my catchy twisted pencil logo. Hopefully the pencil will never go out of style. Did you know they still use pencils in elementary school?

Business Cards are still a powerful social media tool.

We may be in the midst of a digital revolution, but the mighty business card is still being used daily. Yes indeed, people hand out business cards all the time. It’s easy to do and stackable too. And if you’re completely digital you can always scan a business card into your smartphone for easy access.

So make sure your business cards shows the real you. Your brand image should be consistent across all media. Really.

And of course don’t forget all the important information for your business cards:

Name
Address
Telephone Number
Email Address
Website URL
Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn Names

Here’s a summary of why you should always use a business card as a marketing tool:

Easy to hand out at events and in person
Shows your brand and all the important info a client needs to find you
Can be wild or classy, being memorable is important
An inexpensive way to advertise your business
Can also be used to win free lunches at some (old school) restaurants

Brochures are hanging on

Don’t rule out full color brochures either. They work great as a “leave behind”. This is especially true at trade shows and business mixers.

Postcards, Catalogs and Door Hangers are still in the mix.

Check your daily mail and you’ll find them all. Let’s keep the post office in business.

So while you can see the digital age is taking over marketing, there will absolutely be a place for print for quite some time. Printed materials are tangible. There’s less competition in print than online so you’ll stand out.

By combining print marketing with online marketing you’ll have a stronger presence and perhaps drive more traffic to your website.

Branding Graphic Design Marketing 101

20 Aug

6 Reasons You Must Redesign Your Website

Is your website looking old and stale?

Is it responsive to the various tablet and smart phone sizes or does it look strange and unprofessional?

Technology is constantly changing and so must your website. You cannot just let it sway in the online breeze.

Here are some tips on what makes an attention grabbing, quality website:

Make it easy to read. Are the fonts large and clear? Is the content easy to skim? Use headlines and bulleted items.
Create a unique experience. What makes your site stand apart from the competition?
Include a search box visible on all pages.
Eliminate animated graphics. Flashing, garish graphics are quite annoying, slow down your site and should be avoided.
Simplify your navigation. Get to the point. Allow the user to find what they want immediately.
Choose your design layout and color scheme wisely. Consult with an expert for best results.

Remember that viewers decide in an instant whether to read your website or click away. Make sure your site really grabs and keeps their attention.

What are your pet peeves about websites?

Advertising Branding Design Graphic Design Helpful Hints Logo Design Marketing 101 Online Marketing Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Website Design

02 Jul

A Clear Call To Action Gets You Results

Demand Action to Get Action

Whenever you advertise or write on your blog or add a landing page to your website, you must always ask the reader to do something.

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Don’t Ask, Do Tell

“When it comes to getting prospects to take action, tell them what you want them to do. It is important to give clear and definitive direction to make sure your marketing messages have a strong call to action. Use simple phrases such as “download now” or “sign up” so your audience knows exactly what to do.” – Manta

Do you include a Clear Call to Action in all your Marketing Messages?

For Email Marketing you can trust

Advertising Blogging to promote business. Business Practices Helpful Hints Marketing 101 Online Marketing

21 Jun

7 Ways to Promote Your Website and Keep it from Disappearing

The days of setting up a website and forgetting about it are over.

I think I should spend more time marketing my business. What shall I do next? Hmmm. Perhaps a tweet or two.

You must get your name out there on a regular basis. If not, no one will ever find you. You will be sucked into an internet black hole with billions of other websites.

Don’t let this happen to you! Follow these 7 steps and you will have a better chance of staying relevant.

Include title tags, keyword phrases and meta descriptions on all your pages. Also add alt tags on your photos so they show up on searches. If this doesn’t make sense to you, call your neighborhood webmaster for help (or Chuck at Creative Juices 310-791-5803… just saying).
Submit your site to the major search engines, primarily Google, Bing and Yahoo! It takes time for search engines to register this new information.
Create a site map for your site. It helps the search engines and your visitors find all your pages.
Write valuable, relevant content on a regular basis. Give tips, write reviews, how-to’s, etc. Give people a reason to come back to your site.
Add videos and photos. People like visuals. Don’t forget to tag them with relevant keywords. Perhaps add a 6 second Vine or Instagram 15 second video.
Set up your social media marketing. That means Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus and LinkedIn, for starters.
Collect Email addresses. Email marketing continues to be very effective.

Social Media marketing involves creating constant new and helpful content. That’s what will get your site noticed and ranked high. Google and other search engines look for this new content. People search for sites that can help them meet their needs. If your site just sits static it will disappear. No one will find it because there is nothing new.
It is important to build relationships with others, especially those in your niche. You must create a sense of community with your audience.
Unfortunately there is no easy and quick answer. Google is always tweaking their algorithms. Recently they changed the way links to your site are viewed. It’s important that you have outside links to your site, but they must be good, natural links, not links you paid for.
The take-away is to update your website often. Keep it alive and relevant. It’s not easy, but with that kind of information, people will find you!

Do you use social media? Has it helped your website and marketing?

Advertising Blogging to promote business. Helpful Hints Marketing 101 Online Marketing Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

23 Apr

6 Tips on Running a Home Based Business

A lovely rose garden leads to the entrance of Creative Juices.

Running your business at home sounds great. I started my business in 1981 out of my parents home. From there I moved my office several times. From store fronts to industrial parks, then to an office building and now my own home.

Too Many Distractions

I love working at home. The commute is very easy. I work off my living room in what once was a one car garage. Two glass French Doors lead off the driveway into the office. A blanket of rose bushes guide the way. In Spring and Summer it’s quite beautiful.

It also means lots of distractions. It’s easy to take a few minutes to prune the roses and pull a few weeds. My Chihuahua loves to sleep on my lap, preventing me from moving.

Occasionally my two foster boys, ages 5 and 7, are home from school with lots of needs.

Then there’s laundry, cleaning, mail, dog walks etc. It’s not easy to keep your mind focused on actual work.

How to Get Work Done

So here’s my suggestions for working at home and staying on track.

Set aside a dedicated workspace. Having your own room would be ideal. If not, create a little nook somewhere.
Start and stop work at specific times. Give yourself a schedule and stick to it.
Turn off the TV and iPad. You’re there to work, not play.
Take a break (after several hours of working, of course). Walk around the block and clear your head.
Tell the neighbors, children, dog, cat that you are not to be disturbed when you’re “on the clock”.
Only answer your business phone. Forget the telemarketers on your home phone (if you still have one).

Easy peasy. Feel free to share your tips too.

Don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter. Free tips on how to market your business.

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Business Practices Helpful Hints

13 Feb

5 Simple Ways to Achieve Amazing Small Business Success

Image courtesy of Ohmega1982 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Running a small business is an art. You have to trust your instincts and use your talents to achieve success.

It takes a lot of hard work, research and study. Never give up on your dreams.

I’ve been running Creative Juices for over 32 years. It never gets easier. In fact, with today’s economy and the changing field of graphic design, it is a daily challenge to stay up to date and relevant.

That is why I am constantly reading and studying the news for anything related to social media marketing and changes in technology for website design and function.

Here are five simple ways you can increase your chances for business success:

Engage the readers of your website with a variety of content. Make sure it’s helpful and useful.
Try using pictures, polls, tips, facts or even videos in your social media mix.
Sign up with all the social media you can keep up with. Try Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn as the minimum.
Give great customer service and you will retain your customers. And they’ll tell their friends.
Keep your website current and active. You want customers to keep coming back for more.